Business

Inside a YouTube Empire Built on Kitsch and Kimchi

Simon and Martina Stawski relax at the table, wine in hand. They spent a long day shooting and editing with their Pekinese dog Spudgy and Scottish Fold cat Dr. Meemersworth. Even though it's midnight and they're exhausted, they laugh about the day and their hectic schedules as the pets get into mischief behind him.

The Canadian pair, both 30, run the popular Korean culture YouTube channel Eat Your Kimchi from Seoul, South Korea.

In 2008, the couple moved over 6,000 miles from hometown Toronto to teach English in South Korea, never expecting that five years later they'd still be living there. But they found their calling. Instead of explaining the finer points of grammar and pronunciation to school kids, they chose to detail Korean lifestyle, food and music via video. Now each of their vlogs receives hundreds of thousands of views on average.

Simon and Martina didn't gain YouTube fame by playing it safe. They actively chose to abandon the "cautious" road as teachers in order follow a video passion in the country they adore. They found ways to actively challenge traditional discussions of culture, career paths and even their own private lives, an approach that keeps their channel and small business successful.

Starting Out on YouTube

In their videos Simon and Martina stand side by side and hold active discussions. They poke and prod each other, making silly faces when they mispronounce a word. They play-fight and tease each other, portraying the close friendship that begot their marriage. Mix in cute animals and a look at an increasingly global country, and it's no wonder they've earned over 460,000 YouTube subscribers.

At first, they posted videos to show their families in Canada about life in Korea. They soon encountered a strong ex-pat audience, and pockets of travelers who knew little about everyday life in Asia. So, they figured, why not meet the demand?

Eat Your Kimchi strives to present Korea in a fair, objective light, a mix of good and bad traits, just like any other location. Simon and Martina chose not to cover typical tourist destinations — instead, they explain how to use your washer and dryer, which groceries are available and where, and even how to order takeout. They embrace public silliness, whether by filming in front of a restaurant or dancing in the streets. They've even created characters for their sketches, such as Fangurilla, the zealous fan girl, and Mordney, a vampire.

"The thing we always butt our heads against is the way Korea is depicted a lot of the time by the tourism industry or by other people on videos. It's very dry," Simon tells Mashable. "We are rebelling against that. I think that we are always making fun of ourselves and also making fun of the medium in which we operate, at the same time."

They have since hired business manager Soo Zee, video editing intern Leigh and web developer Mark. The couple and their crew maintain several series of videos, which take the majority of the week to film and edit.

YouTube offered Simon and Martina a partnership in 2010, two years after the pair had started vlogging.

In a personal video, Simon questioned the move. "I’m really scared. Like, is this really stupid?" he asked himself. "'Cause I’m giving up a job, [and] a lot of people can’t find jobs. I’m abandoning a career path that I put a lot of commitment into."

While the couple was willing to risk going full-time, they nonetheless experienced moments of worry, whether they would make enough money to get by.

Ultimately, Simon decided not to renew his teaching contract.

The risk paid off as their channel surged in popularity, thanks in part to their connection with the K-Pop world and their energetic, uncommon video style. Within the year, Eat Your Kimchi was making enough money that Martina also left her job to work on videos full-time, alongside her husband.

"To me it seems like, why are we waiting to live our lives?" says Martina. "You spend all this time working with your nose to the grindstone, saving money so that you can, what, be old and not do anything? I think that's there a way to coincide both working, having money to live and living your life at the same time."

Building a Business

The Stawskis applied for their small business license in 2012, in order to legally remain in Korea. It was a difficult decision — if they hadn't succeeded, they would have been deported. At the time, they still worked as a two-member team shooting from their apartment, so they made the push for a studio by asking for donations on Indiegogo. The campaign succeeded in earning nearly three times what Simon and Martina had asked for, thanks in large part to their fan community, know as the "Nasties."

"We really think about [our brand] before we make any move, because we know what we like and what we represent to ourselves and we can't go against how we feel about something," Martina says.

Partly, that means interacting with fans to gauge their opinions and adapting as necessary. The pair seeks direct input from viewers on what they would like to see, everything from EYK video content to the merchandise in their online store.

"When people see some of the shirts we make for ourselves, they say, 'We want those shirts' or, 'I like Martina's style. Can I get a hat like Martina's?'" Martina says.

When Nasties asked for bowler hats with cat ears, like one Martina wore, the Stawskis agreed to list it in their online store, alongside a variety of t-shirts printed with inside jokes, beanies, patches and LPs. The store serves both ends of the brand by diversifying their portfolio and giving the public exactly what it wants. Additional income in part goes back into the store to keep the Nasties happy with cute new gear they can order straight from the source.

In spite of the added expense, the products they sell in EYK's store are all ethically made in Korea, with no child labor or outsourcing. "We want to be as fair as we can possibly can be, and we're not going to take buckets of cash from evil people," Simon says.

The Perils of a Career Online

While the Stawskis live a rewarding and creative life, they understand job security is no longer what it was in their parents' era. If fans stop tuning in, Simon and Martina could suddenly find themselves without income, without much backup savings at that.

"We know that at any point people could just stop watching our videos." Martina says. "We don't have retirement, we don't have funds. What if people don't like us anymore?"

Furthermore, the Stawskis face an additional worry that doesn't plague most other YouTube stars: being forced to leave the country. If their business were to fail, they would not qualify as residents and may not be able to obtain for visas without steady employment.

That knowledge pushes the couple to work even harder. They rely on YouTube analytics tools to track where people stop watching videos, adjusting the length and reading the feedback in the comments. Simon and Martina know they can't afford to fall into creative ruts or standard practices; they challenge themselves to come up with new ideas, better jokes and funnier sketches to keep their videos fresh and to ensure viewers come back for more.

"When it comes to us and our business, we're not necessarily scared but we're never in a state of comfort," Simon says. "I think that state of discomfort always forces us to think more about what can we do, instead of falling into habitual patterns. I think that keeps our content somewhat fresh."

A Widening Community of Nasties

The Eat Your Kimchi community is an international one, with fans in North America, Europe and even in Korea, where 3% of their viewership lives.

While many Koreans are interested to see how foreigners perceive their culture, it's a sign that the Stawski's on-camera chemistry and constantly evolving videos attract viewers beyond the subject matter.

Some fans meet in Seoul, often to chat with Simon and Martina; others make connections entirely via digital platforms. They attend Eat Your Kimchi live events around the world, send in requests and vote for Music Mondays, evolving with the channel they love.

Eat Your Kimchi is a channel with momentum, just like its creators. Whether it's adding new products to their store, launching new video series or just expanding their business venture beyond YouTube, Simon and Martina are constantly reworking themselves and their content. If they don't, they might suddenly find themselves back in Canada starting from square one. But mostly because they love their unorthodox video career.

"We started with the idea of speaking to our family, and now the way that our community has evolved we still have the sense that we’re speaking to family," Simon says, "Just a whole bunch of family members that we haven’t met yet."

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